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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Sinead

62 replies

ParentsTrapped · 20/06/2024 12:19

What do people think?

Im Irish, DH is English and we live in London.

I feel like most English people will recognise/be able to pronounce this name thanks to Sinead O’Connor (RIP!), but it’s quite unusual these days.

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Ballygowenwater · 22/06/2024 08:46

I put it in backwards, it was 4am and I was feeding a baby back asleep for the 4th time last night 😭 I realised about 3 minutes later but didn’t bother editing.

Original poster
ParentsTrapped · 22/06/2024 07:37

It doesn’t @ZoyaTheDestroyer - the fada is acute and it gives the e it’s “ay” sound. I assume just typos from the pps.

OP posts:
ZoyaTheDestroyer · 22/06/2024 06:53

Please excuse my ignorance but what is the pronunciation difference between Sinéad and Sinèad as mentioned by the last two posters? I thought the Irish fada was always acute. I didn’t realise it had a grave form.

Ohmydreams · 22/06/2024 04:23

I like Sinèad.

Other easy names are Aoife,Erin,Cara

Has your other child with an Irish name encountered any issues?

Ballygowenwater · 22/06/2024 04:11

I like Sinèad. My girleen was born in the UK and we went with Ailish as an Irish name with no pronunciation issues. We’ve since moved home and I do wish I’d chosen an Irish spelling instead of an anglicised one. So if you go Sinèad I’d suggest using the fadas.

loveisanopensore · 22/06/2024 00:00

Sinéad O'Connor's one was the first fada used on top of the pops.

Great name.

CyanideShake · 21/06/2024 16:35

Ciara

maw1681 · 21/06/2024 16:33

I think it's beautiful, and I think most people know how to pronounce Sinead, and it's not difficult to pronounce either

HughsMermaid · 21/06/2024 16:19

Cara's lovely

HughsMermaid · 21/06/2024 16:19

Seána

Gcsunnyside23 · 21/06/2024 16:19

I like Sinead, agree you need the fada. What about Cara, its simple and can't get it wrong.

mathanxiety · 21/06/2024 16:04

Also, Nessa.

mathanxiety · 21/06/2024 16:04

Una
Orna (there's that non rhotic R problem though)
Roisin
Dervla
Fionnuala
Clodagh
Fia
Nora

DuchessOfSausage · 21/06/2024 16:00

@ParentsTrapped , I'm not assuming that most others wouldn't, I'm saying don't assume that most would.

Some people don't read/listen/watch the news. If you only listen or watch the news , or if you only read it, you might not match the name with how it sounds.

TimPat · 21/06/2024 16:00

I love it. Lots of Irish heritage in our part of Scotland, my kids have classmates called Maeve, Aine, Niamh, Orlaith, Caoimhe, Aoife and Seamus but no Sinead!
(apologies for missing fada's, can't figure out how to add on my phone).

mathanxiety · 21/06/2024 15:59

HughsMermaid · 21/06/2024 12:33

I was going to be called Sinead (b. 1970 - Irish parents) but they went with Susan instead.

What about Gobnait OP 😉?

Naughty!

Original poster
ParentsTrapped · 21/06/2024 15:40

DuchessOfSausage · 21/06/2024 15:24

Eh what?
When SO'C became suddenly famous, the name had a bit of a moment, but other than that I'd put the same in the same sort of age group as Siobhan and Niamh in that they weren't unheard of in my age group (I grew up in a part of the UK where many have an Irish heritage).

I know of Sinead O'C because of the hit song. If I had only ever seen the name and not heard it, I wouldn't know how to say it.

I can think of many celebs whose names I've only read not heard.

Apologies for the missing fadas.

But you HAVE heard of her, and you DO know how to pronounce the name, so why do you assume that most others wouldn’t?

Her death was front pages news last year.

OP posts:
DuchessOfSausage · 21/06/2024 15:24

Eh what?
When SO'C became suddenly famous, the name had a bit of a moment, but other than that I'd put the same in the same sort of age group as Siobhan and Niamh in that they weren't unheard of in my age group (I grew up in a part of the UK where many have an Irish heritage).

I know of Sinead O'C because of the hit song. If I had only ever seen the name and not heard it, I wouldn't know how to say it.

I can think of many celebs whose names I've only read not heard.

Apologies for the missing fadas.

BocaChica · 21/06/2024 15:17

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhninL_G3Fg

😀

longdistanceclaraclara · 21/06/2024 14:44

DuchessOfSausage · 21/06/2024 11:27

I don't think 'most English people' will have heard of Sinead O'Connor.
Nice name but I would think it was a 50 yr old. It did get used a bit more in GB in the 1990s.

Eh??

Kittea · 21/06/2024 14:13

Sinéad with the fada.

Ordhnaith is gorgeous but impossible to use outside Ireland.

Original poster
ParentsTrapped · 21/06/2024 14:04

I’m from NI so Saoirse is a bit loaded. Also annoying that so many people here (London) think it is pronounced sersha! I’ve actually had English people correct me on that…

I love Sadhbh but it’s too tricky! Ide/Ita is a cute option though.

I have 2 kids already and one has a name mentioned here as being suddenly madly popular…which is annoying as I named her before that happened!

OP posts:
RoaryLion1 · 21/06/2024 14:01

Agree with PPs that Roisin and Siobhan are lovely names and reasonably well known in England.

How about Saoirse? I think it’s a beautiful name - possibly not as well known but getting more common because of the actress.

HughsMermaid · 21/06/2024 13:10

Thanks Duchess. My father thought our surname was too English sounding to 'work' with Sinead but he is rather set in his ways and I don't think that would be the view of many.

I Iike Síofra, Ita and Derval too

DuchessOfSausage · 21/06/2024 12:42

I think Susan's a lovely name @HughsMermaid .

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